Blow-out preventer



Aug. 18, 1936 J. w. MaccLATcHlE BLOW-OUT PREVENTER Filed Feb. 8, 1932 INVENTOR. .Jac ze) Patented Aug. 18, 1936 2,051,261 BLOW-OUT PREVENTER .lohn W. MacClatcliie, Compton, Calif., assignor Application February 8,

MacClatchie Manufacturing Company, Compton, Calif., a corporation of California 1932, Serial No. 591,549

4l Claims. (Cl. Z55-1) This invention is a blow-out preventer for well drilling apparatus; and has for its object to adjust the blow-out preventer which is normally positioned in the cellar beneath the derrick 5 floor, without requiring the operator to leave the derrick iioor and with said adjustment preferably including means for maintaining a tight pack-oil when the blow-out preventer is in operative position and also including means for rem leasing its operative assembly When s desired.

More particularly it is anobject of the invention to tighten the packing engagement of the blow-out preventer by means of pressure in the well casing, so that irrespective of variations in l pressure, a tight pack-off may be automatically maintainedbetwe'en theblow-out preventer and the drill string which extends into the Well casing, Without requiring the operator to leave the den-ick oor and enter the cellar for the purpose of tightening the packing.

It is a further object of the invention to retain the blow-out preventer inV assembled relation-lay a simple but positive locking means which is adapted for remote control for readily releasing the locking means from the derrick floor and without requiringVA the operator to enter the cellar. i

It is astill further object of the invention to incorporate the aforementioned features in a blow-out preventer which upon.' releaseV of the locking means is adapted for unitary removal of a packer from a cooperating body which is the removable packer comprising a swivel structure having a stationary part adapted for reception in the both! and a cooperating rotating part adapted vto turn with the drill string.

Further objects of understood from the following o accompanyingdrawing, in which: i

is a side elevationbf the blow-out preenter, partly in axial section.

Fig.- 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 'ofFig. 1. I

The blow-'out preventer is adapted for mountfing yon the casing string lf of a well structure,' th the' casing adapted to receive a drill string i yinz'zl'uding' ausual upwardly projecting and crosssectionauy polygonal Reny 2. lThe kelly is rotated 'iiii'susual manner fromfthe' derrick floor (not shown), and the blow-out preventer is, mounted on theA casingv in the usual ycellar beneath the 'derrick flooix The `blow-out 55, mounted on the well casing,

the invention will befreadily description of the preventer includes avv body 3 and a cooperating packer received in the body and engaging the kelly 2 so as to pack-oil between the Well casing and the kelly. The body 3 may be threaded onto casing i as shown at 4, and has a tapering bore forming a seat 5 for the packer, with ports 6 below 5 the tapering seat adapted for communication with usual laterally projecting discharge pipes 1.

The packer is releasably locked in body 3 and forms a swivel structure comprising a shell 8 non-rotatably mounted in the body and a cooperating rotating element 9 which is adapted to turn with kelly 2. Packing is provided between the kelly and the rotating element 9, and also between the rotating element and the stationary element 8. The rotating element is turned with the kelly l5 by means of a driving element Il);l and a anged collar ll maintains the packer elements 8, 9 and l0 in assembled relation so that the packer is removable as a unit from body 3or by -removing the flanged collar the rotating elements 20 of the packer are adapted for displacement from the stationary element l As an instance of this arrangement packing rings i2 are preferably mounted in the tapering bore 5 so as to pack-off between the removable 25 packer and the body 3, and the iianged collar Il is threaded onto the stationary element 9 of the packer as shown at i3. The collar Il forms a shoulder i4 vertically spaced from a cooperating externalshoulder I5 on the velement 8, and 30 locking elements i6 which are radially shiftable with relation to body 3 are adapted to releasably engage between the cooperating shoulders M-IS for locking the packer in the body.

The rotating element 9 of the packer is jour- 35 naled in the bore of the cooperating stationary element 8;v andldriving element I0 is preferably diametrically split as shown at I8 for ready reception on kelly 2, and has. a polygonal bore I9 iitting the kelly 2 and an outer periphery fitting 40 in the bore of element 9, with said outer periphery of element I0 and the bore of element 9 of conforming non-circular cross-section, e. g. a splined connection 20, so as to form a rotary driving connection between the elements IIJ-9. The split driving element l0 may be held in asf sembled relation by an integral collar 2|, and the flange Ila of collar Il overlies the splined engagement 20 so that elements 8, 9 and l0 of the packer form a unitary assembly.

Anti-frictional means are preferably provided between the relatively rotatable elements 8f-9 of the packer. For this purpose a roller bearing 23 may be mounted in the outer peripheral surface o rotatable element 9, with ball bearings 24-25 55 preferably providing end thrust bearings for the rotatable element. 'I'he ball bearing 2l is mounted on a shoulder 26 of stationary element 9 and supports the rotatable element 9, and the ball 5 bearing 25 is positioned between the flanged collar II and the'driving connection 29.

The packing elements of the packer preferably include packing rings 29-29 between the rotatas shown at 34 for reception of a corresponding by a collar 31 which fits between the kelly 2 and the rotatable element 9, with ports 99 opening through the collar so that pressure in well casing I is communicated to the annular groove of the 'ring 29. The grooves 94 and 99 provide the packing 29 and 29 with inner peripheral packing lips having'exterlor contours conforming tothe polygonal kelly 2 and with outer peripheral packing lips having exterior contours conforming to that of the bore of rotating element 9.

35. 'I'he packing 30 is preferably an inverted U- packing mounted in an annular recess 49 which is formed in the outer peripheral surface of element 9 below the ball bearing 24. and a gland 4I' is threaded onto element 9 so as to retain pack- 40 ing 39 in place, and is ported as shown at 42 so that the pressure in casing I is communicated to the channel of the U-packing. The gland 4I also holds collar 31 in place, but Without obstructing its ports 39.

It will thus be seen that the packing requires no manual adjustment, but is automatically expanded in accordance with the pressure in the well casing so as to maintain a tight seal whatever the casing pressure may be. For example the casing pressure directed against grooved packing ring 29 will laterally expand and also llongitudinally shift this ring, thereby correspondingly laterally expanding and longitudinally shifting the packing ring 29 so that the latter wedges against its cooperating seat 93. The rotatable' elements 9--I0 are thus tightly packed-oi! with relation to the kelly 2. In similar manner the casing pressure directed against the channeled packing 90 `will laterally and longitudinally expand the same so as to tightly pack-oi! between the rotatable element 9 and the stationary element 8. y

The packer 9-9-I0 thus tightlypacks-oi'l' the kelly2, with this packing engagement automati-l` cally adjusted so as to maintain a tight seal in accordance with the casing pressure and irrei spective of variations in said pressure: and the packer is in turn tightly packed-01T with relation to body I by the locking elements I9 retaining the packer in wedging engagement with the tapering seat 5. The packing I2 at this tapering seat is preferably grooved as shown at M, so that any seepage of pressure will automatically expand the packing for insuring a tight se 'I'he packing of the blow-out preventer is thus without requiring the immediate presence of the operator.

As. an instance of this amangement the locking elements I9 are slidable. in radial slots 4I in the lo body 3, and a ring 46 is rotatable on the body for retracting or projecting the locking elements. A spring 91 normally rotates the ring in the direction for operatively projecting the locking eleto the derrick iloor and is adapted to oppositely rotate the ring 49 for retracting the lockingelements so that they disengage thev shoulder Il and thus permit removal. of the packer from the 20 ly from the locking elements I6 and are received in cam slots I0 in the underside of ring 49. with Il from their engagement beneath shoulder I4.

The invention thus provides a blow-out preventer of simple construction, but securely locked in place and providing a tight pack-oir, with the 35 locking means readily releasable from the derrick floor, and the packing elements operatively expanded in accordance with the casing pressure, and without requiring the presence of the operav tor for manually tightening the packing. 40

I claim:

1. Closure means adapted for mounting in well casing so as to surround a drill stem and including a rotatable element and a driving element, the rotatable element having a bore and the driv- 45 therotatable element adapted for ready engage- 50 ing a rotatable element and a driving element, 55

against relative longitudinal displacement.

. 3. Closure means adapted for mounting in `well casing so as to surround a drill stein andincluding a stationary element, a rotatable element journaled therein, and 4il. driving element, the 70 driving element being mounted on the drill stem and adapted to turn therewith, a driving connection between the driving element and the rotatable element adapted for engagement and disengagement by relative longitudinal moveu ment of said elements, said elements relative and means for locking to the stationary element and against relative longitudinal movement.

4. Closure means adapted for mounting in well casing so as to surround a drill stem and including a rotatable element and a driving element, the rotatable element having a bore and the driving element being a dapted for reception in said bore and adapted to turn with the drill stem, and the outer periphery oi the driving element and the bore o! the rotatable element being of conforming non-circular cross-section forming a rotary driving connection between said elements adapted for engagement and disengagement by relative longitudinal movement oi said elements.

JOHN W. MAcCLATCHIE. 

